María dijo que estaba cansada.
English: Maria said that she was tired.
- Language
- Spanish
- Level
- B2
- Unit
- Estilo indirecto y concordancia de tiempos
- Practice types
- 0
What this grammar point covers
Indirect speech in the past (estilo indirecto en pasado) is a way to report what someone said before, using past tenses and changing verbs and pronouns as needed.
When to use it
Use this structure in Spanish when you want to report what someone said, thought, or asked in the past, without quoting their exact words.
Key forms
- Verbs usually move one step back in tense:
- - Presente → imperfecto: "dijo que tenía..."
- - Pretérito perfecto → pluscuamperfecto: "dijo que había terminado"
- - Futuro → condicional: "dijo que llegaría tarde"
Examples
El profesor explicó que el examen sería difícil.
English: The teacher explained that the exam would be difficult.
Me contó que había viajado a México.
English: He/She told me that he/she had traveled to Mexico.
Ellos dijeron que no podían venir.
English: They said that they couldn't come.
Tips
- Remember to change the verb tense one step back when reporting in the past.
- Pronouns and time expressions (like 'hoy', 'mañana') often need to change too.
- Don’t forget to use 'que' to connect the reporting verb and the reported speech.
Exceptions and edge cases
- If the original statement is still true, sometimes the tense does not change.
- Some modal verbs (like 'deber', 'poder', 'querer') may not always change tense.